Hospitality industry

The opening of the Hampton Inn in New Albany adds significantly to the city’s hospitality industry and the tax revenue it generates for our area.

The 84-room hotel, owned by Ascent of Dalton, Ga., is a welcome addition to the cluster of hotels at the busy U.S. 78 interchange with Highway 30 West in New Albany. It joins the Holiday Inn Express, the Comfort Inn and the Economy Inn at that location.

The hotel is a new prototype model of Hampton Inns that has a decidedly upscale look and feel. It also is entirely smoke-free.

The project exhibits confidence on the part of developers that the New Albany economy will trend up as the new Toyota and its suppliers plants open in the region.

The new hotel also shows the confidence that BNA Bank has in the hospitality market here. The bank provided both the construction and the long-term financing for the project.

John Tampa, president of Ascent, said, said he appreciates the support of the city, the community and the bank for the project:

“We chose New Albany because it is a good growth community and we think that businesses will continue to grow here.”

He also predicted that the hospitality business in New Albany will be helped by the voters’ decision to allow the sale of beer and light wine in the city and that more restaurants will locate here.

Tampa currently operates 14 hotels under the Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Fairfield Inn and Holiday Inn Express labels. New Albany is the first hotel he has opened in Mississippi, but others are planned, he said.

We welcome the hotel and its general manager, Jennifer Henderson, to the community. It’s yet another sign of the progress of the hospitality industry in New Albany.